Damned System

Chapter 8. Promotion Test (2)

Until now, the intentions of the system were clear.

Kill the creature before you and absorb its mana.

The three-part tutorial forced that pattern upon me.

This time, the target to kill had merely changed from a beast to a monster.

The moment I realized it, I bolted in the direction where the monster had disappeared.

I had to catch the thing I stabbed in the eye with a knife and made run away just moments ago.

There was now a reason not to miss out on the reward based on performance!

‘Ten million won!’

Indeed, capitalism was magnificent.

It could make me briefly forget my resentment toward the system and fear of death.

Though there was no guarantee I would actually receive the money.

If I could really get it, I’d earn a whopping ten million won in one go.

There was no reason not to chase it.

It was, of course, possible because I judged it was somewhat feasible.

Along with having floored a polar bear with a single punch, I hadn’t been significantly disadvantaged against the monster earlier.

I was startled when its tongue suddenly lashed out.

Yet I could keep up with both the monster’s movements and speed.

I managed to dodge its attacks several times.

In a mana manipulation state, I wasn’t physically outmatched.

To make matters worse, the monster was injured.

‘I can catch it!’

The chase wasn’t that challenging. A dagger had fallen not far away.

After retrieving the weapon, I followed the trail of black liquid on the dirt ground.

‘Could this be blood?’

Briefly confused by the monster’s trace.

After a few minutes of pursuit, I located the target and involuntarily swore.

“This damn thing!”

The monster was just about to kill a white person I had never seen before.

“Put that person down!”

As soon as I began my mana manipulation, I raised my spear and hurled it toward the monster.

The spear swiftly soared through the air and pierced the monster’s abdomen.

“Keieeeek!”

It shrieked and turned its body.

It seemed like it was trying to flee, taking hurried steps without any pause.

The spark in my eye ignited.

The Ten million won was slipping away!

“Hey, you bastard, stop right there!”

There was no way I would let it escape.

I launched myself into the air, closing the 20, no, 25-meter gap in an instant.

Leaping over the fainted white person, I landed above the monster showing its back.

“Ten million won!”

I shouted, driven by anger.

The reward I could earn if I caught it dangled tantalizingly before me.

Ten million won was enough to spur me on.

My focus was far greater than when I first encountered the monster.

Even as it turned towards me.

Even as its sharp claws swung at me.

Even as its tongue, like a rope, lashed out almost simultaneously.

Everything appeared to move slowly.

Twisting my body in mid-air, I dodged the claws.

When I grabbed the monster’s tongue with my left hand, the longsword appeared in my right and reached under its chin.

「Sense is expanding.」

「The Trait Sensory Extension is being created.」

Beyond the system messages that suddenly appeared, I locked eyes with the monster.

As unbelievable as it seemed, fear was blooming in the monster’s sole eye in that instant.

Even after witnessing that, I didn’t hesitate for a second to thrust my sword.

“Kieeek!”

This monster surely intended to kill me.

It was only because I wasn’t weak that it failed to do so.

No compromise was necessary.

The resistance felt through the sword penetrating its skin was significant.

Contrary to pulling its tongue, I pushed the sword stronger, deeper.

Snap, crack.

Twice, the blade pierced through the monster’s palate and skull.

As black liquid spurted into the air, the monster’s body slumped lifelessly.

When the corpse began to fall backward, I managed to land on two feet.

“Phew.”

It had all happened in mere seconds.

Yet, within my heightened senses, it felt as if time stretched over tens of seconds.

Everything had seemed to slow down just before I killed the monster.

I stored away that sensation in a corner of my mind.

Relishing and practicing it would come later.

Now, it was time for the mana to enter.

Preparing for the impending impact, I turned around.

The white person was in that direction.

Brown hair with blue eyes.

He had somehow managed to sit up, clutching his neck, and watching me.

‘I’ll absorb the mana first, then assert that this is mine.’

I intended to firmly make my claim beforehand to prevent any disputes over stealing.

After all, without me, he might have died, giving me all the justification I needed.

I started to organize what I wanted to say to the man.

But the ensuing message forced me to postpone our conversation.

「You have successfully eliminated the enemy. 61 points of corrupted mana have been absorbed.」

The amount of mana was significantly larger than from the polar bear, but that didn’t catch my attention.

‘Corrupted mana?’

Seeing a message unlike any before, I was filled with questions and began screaming, rolling on the ground.

“Heeewwaaaah!”

Hundreds, thousands of needles crawled inside, piercing my entire body.

Never had I felt pain when absorbing mana before.

It was just an overwhelming sense of rejection.

But this time was different. It felt like my body was being torn apart.

Even as I writhed in agony, the system messages continued.

「Corrupted mana exists within the body. Check the Chaos value.」

「Mental corruption is commencing.」

「Please purify the corrupted mana.」

Letters thicker than usual left an afterimage as they disappeared.

“Hey!”

At that moment, the white man hastily approached.

Experiencing pain I had never felt before.

The approaching presence.

A stranger.

Instinctively, I pulled out the spear from the monster’s body and aimed it at the white man.

Should he attack me now, it would be dangerous!

As the black liquid dripped from the spear’s blade, the white man halted on the spot.

Meanwhile, the pain didn’t cease.

“Grr, huup!”

I clenched my teeth, but my body twitched as though having a seizure.

The spear quivered as my vision blurred.

“Haak, haak!”

The pain subsided only after what felt like an unbearably long time.

My face was a mess with tears, snot, and saliva.

As I took a heavy breath and wiped my messy face, a strange voice reached my ears.

“Are you ok?”

I was sure I intended to reply.

But what actually came out of my mouth was a query, not a response.

“What…?”

Someone was whispering softly in my head, in a faint voice.

I shook my head roughly, but the voice gradually became clearer.

And when I finally understood what it said.

Unconsciously, I tightened my grip on the spear aimed at the white man.

‘Kill…?’

It was just once.

Understanding the words in my head made something surge up.

‘Why all of a sudden?’

Why was I getting so angry?

My breathing became erratic, as though I had been sprinting for hundreds of meters.

The voice in my mind started growing louder.

Kill, kill, kill, kill!

‘What, what’s happening…?’

Was this what they called schizophrenia?

Clenching my teeth, I moved away from the white man.

Otherwise, I thought I would attack him.

I wanted to kill that person right now.

It wasn’t a misconception. The murderous intent was overwhelming.

My eyes trembled uncontrollably.

At that moment, a word flashed across my mind.

「Please purify the corrupted mana.」

‘Purify.’

I frantically opened the inventory.

* * *

Player Kang Hyunwoo (Beta Tester)

Mana: 192.33

(Attribute Mana: 13)

Chaos Value: 31.72%

Affiliation: Earth

Race: Human (Player)

Rank: Delta

Attribute: –

Trait: ?????, adaptability, tenacity, Mana Manipulation (0.57%), sensory Extension (0.01%)

I had continuously collected plants whenever time allowed.

Although not a large quantity, it meant I had a stable secondary income beyond regular missions.

Because of that, a new word had appeared beneath my gradually increasing mana, nearing 200.

‘Chaos Value?’

A strange term, a message about mental corruption, and a pill about the size of a 100-won coin.

The hesitation was brief.

I swallowed the white pill assumed to be a purification item.

The pill turned into a smoke-like substance and was absorbed into my body, and the embedded thorns came out in a rush.

As the Chaos value dropped to 0, the voice ringing in my head was no longer audible.

“Phew…”

Only then could I catch my ragged breath.

Rising slowly from my spot, the white man flinched, trembling.

I observed him closely.

‘Player…’

Like me, a player suddenly dragged into this wretched game.

A top-tier player who cleared all tutorials.

A white man who spoke English.

Considering the Japanese words I heard since being transferred to this space, I realized the players’ nationalities varied.

Instead of breaking the silence, I quietly stared at him.

In response, the white man spoke first.

“Are you ok?”

“……”

“Ah… I’m Ethan. First, thanks. You saved my life.”

“……”

“Do you speak English? Understand me?”

Though my conversational skills weren’t lacking, my expression twisted involuntarily.

After the GED, I had completely abandoned English.

Clicking my tongue shortly, I opened my mouth.

“It……”

Of course, I stopped short before finishing what I wanted to say.

‘Why should I use English I’m not even good at?’

He was speaking English as he pleased without even considering my position.

Pointing the spear at the monster’s corpse, I said.

“Let’s not argue over ownership. This was originally mine.”

I intended to hunt down as many monsters as possible and take the first-place reward.

This monster I just killed was a stepping stone toward my ten million won.

“What?”

Ethan asked, seemingly not understanding my words at all.

But there was no reason I needed to kindly translate everything into English for him.

‘It’s enough that I saved his life.’

I shifted my gaze away from Ethan.

“Tch.”

Immediately, I stored the longsword in the inventory and inspected the monster’s corpse.

‘What kind of animal is this…?’

However much I rack my memory, I had never seen an animal like this.

Moreover, the black liquid flowing from its wound.

‘Is this really blood?’

The blood I know is red.

Yet that simple and absolute truth was being contradicted.

What exactly was the identity of this thing?

Following my curiosities was a word I’d seen several times before.

Glancing at the still-displayed status window, I confirmed the affiliation section.

‘Affiliation to Earth…’

Then what would someone from a different affiliation be listed as?

Lost in thought, I summoned the mission window.

MISSION

「Promotion Test Beta Test」

Eliminate the enemies. (1/13)

The count had increased.

Coincidentally, I had killed one monster.

Since this monster was an enemy as defined by the system, it was likely of a different affiliation from me.

“The survival of mankind…”

The phrase I saw on the day I was first dragged into this terrible game blurred my mind.

What on earth was happening?

“Phew.”

I sighed deeply, scratching my head.

‘Questions later.’

This wasn’t a suitable place for prolonged thinking.

These monsters numbered at least 12 more.

Postponing thoughts about the system and the current situation, I looked at Ethan again.

As our eyes met, he awkwardly smiled.

As if he had been waiting for my gaze.

“I have some…”

No sooner had Ethan started speaking than a tremor ran through my body.

The count on the mission window at the very top had gone up, after all.

‘Someone else killed a monster.’

There was no leisure to remain idle like this.

I had a clear goal for this mission.

I tightly gripped the spear.

Judging by his gratitude or something earlier, it seemed he didn’t intend to claim ownership of the monster.

Even though he was a player who had fully cleared the tutorials, he had been overwhelmed by the monster.

Would it be better to accompany Ethan?

‘Would he give up the next prey too?’

Probably among the players who entered the mission area, there were 7 in total.

Assuming one might have died, leaving 6.

And 11 monsters left.

How effective would Ethan and I be if we moved together?

Should I propose accompaniment as a benefit?

My concern turned moot quickly.

My keen hearing detected a foreign presence.

– Kiiik.

Swiftly, I turned toward the sound.

“Gasp.”

As I channeled mana, I could hear clearly amid the sound of leaves rustling and tangled reverberations.

“Kiiik.”

“Kieek?”

“Kiek!”

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

The tremors were irregular. At least two!

“They’re coming!”

I shouted as I caught sight of two monsters rushing past trees and through foliage.

They were astonishingly fast, closing the distance rapidly.

Almost as if they agreed beforehand, one monster lunged at each, me and Ethan.

My face twisted in frustration.

‘As expected.’

These things were surprisingly intelligent.

I gritted my teeth and aimed the spear at the monster charging towards me.

Despite accurately targeting its body, the spearhead didn’t pierce the monster.

It twisted its body to dodge it.

‘It knows bladed weapons are dangerous.’

Even the first monster evaded when I thrust my spear.

It realized it shouldn’t get lanced.

I reinforced my defenses and swung the spear.

The spear shaft struck the side of the monster dodging the tip.

“Kiek!”

As the monster flew sideways, it lashed its tongue toward me.

Instead of offering my neck or torso, I offered my left arm.

The tongue, split into three at the end, coiled around my arm.

“Ugh!”

The moment the monster landed on all fours, I felt a strong pull.

‘If it weren’t for mana manipulation, I would’ve been overpowered.’

Exerting force into my waist and legs to avoid being dragged along, suddenly a scream rang out.

Damned System